At the end of December the Home Office issued this mock-up of what the new passport could look like. Photograph: Home Office/PA

“The colour of the new passport will be returning to its previous navy blue,” the statement says. “The image alongside our announcement … is a mock-up produced for illustrative purposes before the final design is completed. The colour will be navy blue and the design embossed in gold.”

The statement goes on to say: “Since its introduction in 1921, there have been a few variants of that navy blue colour but it has never been black, as some commentators have suggested.”